Batting practice device

ABSTRACT

A batting practice device includes a base having an electric motor mounted thereon and a shaft revolved by the electric motor extending vertically thereabove. An arm is secured to the shaft and extends radially outwardly therefrom and is adjustable on the shaft to raise or lower the outer end thereof. A bracket is journaled on the outer end of the arm about an axis lying substantially on a radius of a shaft on the base. A baseball is mounted on the bracket in a position to be struck by a baseball bat as the arm revolves about the base.

United States Paten 11 1 Gonzalez l BATTING PRACTICE DEVICE [76] Inventor: Bartolome Bauza Gonzalez, Box

7722, Barrio Obrera Station, Santurce, PR.

22 Filed: ()Cl. 1,1971

21 Appl.N0.: 185,566

Allred 273/126 E Evans 273/55 R Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Theatrice Brown Att0rney-Berman, Davidson and Herman [57] ABSTRACT A batting practice device includes a base having an electric motor mounted thereon and a shaft revolved by the electric motor extending vertically thereabove. An arm is secured to the shaft and extends radially outwardly therefrom and is adjustable on the shaft to raise or lower the outer end thereof. A bracket is journaled on the outer end of the arm about an axis lying substantially on a radius of a shaft on the base. A baseball is mounted on the bracket in a position to be struck by a baseball bat as the arm revolves about the base.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENIEU 2W3 3.762.705

SHEEI 10$ 2 I INVENTOR.- 5427040145 541/2 GOA/Z4152,

" wwmfwm ATTORNEY:

BATTING PRACTICE DEVICE The primary object of the invention is to provide a batting practice device which closely simulates a pitched ball in its action.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following specification when considered in light of the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a top plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in FIG. 3',

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a batting practice device constructed in accordance with the invention.

The batting practice device 10 includes a generally rectangular base 11 supported on a plurality of legs 12 extending outwardly and downwardly from the corners of the base 11. An electric motor 13 is mounted on a bracket 14 secured to the base 11 and has a pulley 15 on the upper end thereof.

A shaft 16 is journaled in a lower bearing 17 and an upper bearing 18 on the base 11 and extends perpendicularly upwardly therefrom. A relatively large pulley 19 is rigidly securedto the shaft 16 and a belt 20 is trained over the pulleys 15, 19 to cause the shaft 16 to rotate when the electric motor 13 is operated.

The shaft 16 has an elongate slot 21 extending completely therethrough to receive a flat plate 22. The flat plate 22 is pivotally secured on a bolt 23 which extends through the shaft 16 and the plate 22, and secured by a wing nut 24. An adjustable bolt 25 extends through the shaft 16 and one of a series of bores 26 formed in the plate 22. Adjustment of the plate 22 on the pivot bolt 23, by using one of the selected bores 26, changes the effective angle of the plate 22.

A pair of stub arms 27, 28 are formed onthe plate 22 and extend outwardly therefrom. An arm, generally indicated at 29, has an upper bar 30 secured to the stub portion 27 of the plate 22 and a lower bar 31 which is secured to the stub portion 28 of the plate 22. The bars 30, 31 converge outwardly and are connected by uprights 32.

A shaft 33 is rigidly secured to the outer end of the arm 29 to lie substantially on a radius of an axis of the shaft 16, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.

A substantially U-shaped support member 34 has upstanding ears 35, 36 at opposite ends thereof which are journaled on the shaft 33. The support 34 has a U- shaped centrally offset portion 36 formed integrally thereon with a pivot bolt-37 extending thereacross.

A generally U-shaped bracket 38 has a short leg 39 pivotally mounted on the pivot bolt 37 and extending horizontally outwardly therefrom. The bracket 38 has an upright bight 40 which carries a second horizontal leg 41 on its lower end. The horizontal leg 41 is substantially longer than the leg 39 and has a baseball 42 secured to the outer end thereof by a mounting 43.

Washers 44 and cotter keys 45 are engaged on opposite sides of the cars 35, 36 to retain the support 34 in its proper location on the shaft 33.

In the use and operation of the invention, the player stands outside of the swing of the arm 29 and after the electric motor 13 has been energized, makes an effort to strike the baseball 42 as it is carried past him on the arm 29. When the bat strikes the baseball 42, the ball will pivot to some extent on the pivot mounting 37 with the ball support 34 turning about the shaft 33 as re quired to dissipate the energy applied to the ball 42 by the bat. It should be noted that the ball 42 has no apparent support when viewed from the batters position since the longer leg 41 of the bracket 38 is completely hidden by the ball.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A batting practice device comprising a base, a shaft journalled on said base for rotary movement about a vertical axis, an elongate slot extending through said shaft, a plate extending through said slot, means adjustably securing said plate to said shaft for adjustment about a transverse pivot, an elongate arm extending from said plate, an electric motor mounted on said base, means connecting said motor to said shaft for rotating said shaft and said arm, a generally U- shaped bracket having a baseball rigidly secured to one end thereof, a generally U-shaped support member rotatably mounted on the opposite end of said arm said bracket being pivotally mounted on said support member to permit said bracket and the attached baseball to rotate around said arm when the: baseball is struck in batting practice.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said U- shaped bracket has a pair of spaced parallel generally horizontal arms connected by a generally vertical bight with one of said arms supporting said baseball substantially longer than the other of said arms. 

1. A batting practice device comprising a base, a shaft journalled on said base for rotary movement about a vertical axis, an elongate slot extending through said shaft, a plate extending through said slot, means adjustably securing said plate to said shaft for adjustment about a transverse pivot, an elongate arm extending from said plate, an electric motor mounted on said base, means connecting said motor to said shaft for rotating said shaft and said arm, a generally U-shaped bracket having a baseball rigidly secured to one end thereof, a generally U-shaped support member rotatably mounted on the opposite end of said arm said bracket being pivotally mounted on said support member to permit said bracket and the attached baseball to rotate around said arm when the baseball is struck in batting practice.
 2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said U-shaped bracket has a pair of spaced parallel generally horizontal arms connected by a generally vertical bight with one of said arms supporting said baseball substantially longer than the other of said arms. 